One way to serve your community is to run for ANC. Here’s what you need to know about the office and how to get on the ballot.

Interested in serving your community? Want to play a greater role in shaping DC policy priorities and addressing neighborhood issues?

That’s what members of DC’s Advisory Neighborhood Commissions do. They are elected every two years during the November general election, and starting July 1st, prospective candidates can begin the process of getting their names on the ballot.

About ANCs

Advisory Neighborhood Commissions were approved by DC voters in 1974, and the first candidates appeared on DC ballots a few years later. The ANCs’ purpose was, and is, to make sure local voices are heard at the highest levels of local government.

ANCs do not make policy or have any legislative power. They represent neighborhoods as they provide oversight, feedback and suggestions on a range of policies and issues including traffic, parking, recreation, street improvements, liquor licenses, zoning, economic development, police protection, sanitation, and the District’s annual budget. The tools at their disposal include resolutions and testimony before DC government agencies, independent boards, and the council. Many DC agencies are required to notify ANCs of projects and programs in their areas, and are required to give “great weight” to ANC recommendations.

ANC 3F has six single-member districts representing residents and businesses in Van Ness, Forest Hills and Wakefield, and parts of North Cleveland Park and Chevy Chase. (Map by OpenANC.org)

How to run

The DC Board of Elections has a detailed rundown of the steps you must take to declare your candidacy and get your name on the ballot. Greater Greater Washington will also host a virtual training session at 6 p.m. on July 1st with current and former commissioners who will talk about what it’s like to run for the office and to serve, and will offer tips on being an effective commissioner. You can find more information and register here.

Here are some of the basics:

You are qualified to serve in this unpaid and non-partisan elected office if you are registered to vote and have lived in your single-member district (SMD) for at least 60 days before you submit your ballot nomination petition. You can find your SMD and learn its boundaries by entering your address at OpenANC.org.

Then, you can request a nomination petition by email ([email protected]), mail or in person (call 202-727-2525 to make an appointment):

DC Board of Elections
1015 Half Street, SE, Suite 750
Washington, DC 20003-4733

Candidates also need to file a “Declaration of Candidacy.” You must sign this form either in the presence of a notary public, or a DC Board of Elections worker.

You can also request a list of the registered voters who live in your SMD and a map of your SMD’s boundaries. This will aid you as you go about collecting the signatures of at least 25 voters. It’s always a good idea to collect more than 25, if any are challenged.

August 7th at 5 p.m. is the deadline for submitting the petition, with its 25-plus voter signatures, to the Board of Elections. This step must be done in person. A ten-day challenge period will follow.

The candidates who win the November 5th election will be sworn in on January 2nd. The Office of Advisory Neighborhood Commissions provides orientation and training.